The House passed a resolution condemning socialism. Not taxing it. Not regulating it. Condemning it. Like socialism was going to read the press release and feel bad about itself.
Republicans drafted this thing knowing full well it would change exactly zero minds about anything. Your uncle who thinks Bernie Sanders is a communist? Still thinks that. Your cousin who wants free healthcare? Still wants that. The resolution exists purely so campaign ads can say "Congressman Johnson voted against socialism" in a voice that sounds like a movie trailer.
They also crammed the SAVE America Act into this thing. That's the voter ID bill. Because when you're already doing performative nonsense, why not double down? The logic here is flawless: we hate socialism so much that we need to make voting harder. Those two ideas connect if you've had the right amount of cable news.
Picture the staffer who had to write this. Somewhere in a windowless office, a 24-year-old with a polisci degree typed "Whereas socialism is bad" into Microsoft Word and got paid for it. That's the job. Formalizing bumper stickers.
The vote happened in September. The election happens in November. The gap between those two dates is not a coincidence. This is the legislative equivalent of a last-minute Hail Mary, except the ball is a piece of paper and the end zone is Fox News.
Retail traders saw this headline and immediately started scanning for tickers. "Is there a socialism ETF? Can I short it?" No, Brandon. You can't short a resolution. You can barely short a stock without calling your mom for help.
The House could've passed infrastructure funding. They could've addressed literally anything with a measurable outcome. Instead they condemned an economic system that isn't being implemented anywhere in America and attached a voting bill that won't pass the Senate.
Democracy is when you get paid to write strongly worded letters to concepts.
Photo by Elijah Mears on Unsplash
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